A frightened and irresponsible girl and an emotionally conflicted woman are brought together under tragic circumstances in this independent drama. Stephanie Daley (Amber Tamblyn) is a 16-year-old girl who while on a school-sponsored ski… MoreA frightened and irresponsible girl and an emotionally conflicted woman are brought together under tragic circumstances in this independent drama. Stephanie Daley (Amber Tamblyn) is a 16-year-old girl who while on a school-sponsored ski trip collapses in a puddle of blood; a medical examination reveals that Stephanie has recently given birth, and in a nearby bathroom a newborn child is found dead, flushed down a toilet with its mouth stuffed with toilet paper. While Stephanie insists the child was stillborn and she had no idea she was pregnant, she is charged with killing the infant, and court-appointed psychologist Lydie Crane (Tilda Swinton) is assigned to interview the teenager. Lydie has her own issues with possible parenthood; she's been struggling to have a child after a recent stillbirth, and the matter is taking a toll on her marriage, with her husband, Paul (Timothy Hutton), seeking solace in the arms of another woman. As Stephanie shares with Lydie her feelings about her relationship with her parents, how she lost her virginity, and her growing conviction that God gave her a child as a form of punishment, Lydie finds herself dealing with her own feelings about the child she lost. Meanwhile, Right to Life and Pro-Choice groups threaten to turn Stephanie's trial into a media circus. Stephanie Daley premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival.

To see Tamblyn's work here, to see her character almost simultaneously embody pain, terror, anguish, embarrassment, regret and just about any emotion you can think of, is to watch the kind of acting the medium exists to provide.

Very well done movie. I felt a lot of sympathy for what Stephanie must have been through and the consequences of her actions. Tidla Swinton is also very good… MoreVery well done movie. I felt a lot of sympathy for what Stephanie must have been through and the consequences of her actions. Tidla Swinton is also very good in this.

Walter M.

[font=Century Gothic]Written and directed by Hilary Brougher, "Stephanie Daley" is a thoughtful movie about there not always being a ready explanation… More[font=Century Gothic]Written and directed by Hilary Brougher, "Stephanie Daley" is a thoughtful movie about there not always being a ready explanation for everything that happens in this complicated world of ours. For example, there is 16-year old Stephanie Daley(Amber Tamblyn), a seemingly normal high school student in upstate New York, who has been accused of killing her newborn baby on a ski trip. She claims that she did not know that she was pregnant. Flashbacks show the sequence of events leading up to the fateful incident(referencing "A Scarlet Letter" is a bit obvious) along with the world she lives in, one where abstinence-only sex education is taught in high school and adults talk to children, but do not listen to them. And then there is Lydie Crane(Tilda Swinton, who is superb), the forensic psychologist assigned to determine Stephanie's fitness to stand trial, who is 29 weeks pregnant, following a recent pregnancy that ended in a stillbirth. She is just happy that her current pregnancy is going well so far.[/font]
[font=Century Gothic]Note: Hilary Brougher also directed the wonderfully sublime, "The Sticky Fingers of Time."[/font]

Laurence Collin

Every now and then, a small film that comes out of nowhere (read : out of Sundance) arrives and blows you away. Stephanie Daley is that film.
What makes it… MoreEvery now and then, a small film that comes out of nowhere (read : out of Sundance) arrives and blows you away. Stephanie Daley is that film.
What makes it so successful is that Hilary Brougher's masterful film plays the honesty card instead of humping the melodramatic trappings. Don't get me wrong : it's utterly joyless, and more than once there are women that break down and cry. But the strength of the subject matter mixed with the enormous empathy for both its lead characters never, ever pull down the film-- the writing ensures that we constantly want to know more, and the directing gives us plenty of insight into Stephanie and Lydie's lives. Oddly enough, not too much is spoken-- before THE horrific event, Stephanie's only tragedy was that she used to be sadly ordinary. Lydie's pregnancy is narratively unimportant, but the weight it occupies in the film is tremendous. With just a quick closeup or by staging perfectly normal happenings, Brougher leads us right at the core of two brilliant character studies.
Sure, Stephanie's story seems to change slightly every time she shows up for forensic analysis. Down the line, we have to wonder: has the event made her insane... or is she just a teen? When so much of your daily existence, navigating teachers, friends, boys, parents-- all of which are wisely shown just enough of to humanize Stephanie, without ever explaining her-- revolves around pretending to be something and/or someone you're not, it takes a certain kind of skill to unpeel your layers and know which ones to throw out. Also : the ending is perfectly delivered. No icing on the cake here-- the final words resonate along with the music, and haunt you like the rest of the film.
Obviously, the film would not have worked as well as it did without the immense power of the performances. Starting with the fantastic-as-ever Swinton, who brings a mesmerizing intimacy to her role, the characters are so well-written that only pros could handle them. Tamblyn, one of the most engaging actresses of her generation, makes her character almost simultaneously embody pain, terror, anguish, embarrassment, regret and just about any emotion you can think of-- it's not an easy task, especially when those grueling feelings are far from externalized. She succeeds, and knocks it out of the park without acting up a storm. I raise my hat-- this is, hands down, one of the best performances I've seen in my life, and Stephanie wouldn't even qualify as the lead character.
People will surely talk about the labor scene... of course, it's as gut wrenching and emotionally draining as anything I've ever seen. But the takeaway image of the scene (and, come to think of it, the film itself) is a long, agonizing shot of Amber Tamblyn's face, seen through the cracks between the wall and door of a public restroom stall. If you walked into the theater by mistake during that shot, you'd think you'd stepped into a horror film.
When you fully grasp the weight of what Brougher has put her heroine through, you realise that you're not far off from a horror movie.

Randy Tippy

There are films that you watch for sheer entertainment. One's that afford you an hour and a half of escapism, returning you safely to reality with a happy… MoreThere are films that you watch for sheer entertainment. One's that afford you an hour and a half of escapism, returning you safely to reality with a happy conclusion and the rolling of the credits. This is not one of those films.
<i>Stephanie Daley</i> is a snippet of adolescent reality presented without embellishment or agenda. It's exceptionally written, superbly cast and, due to it's content, damn hard to watch.

Laura Cameron

I got that happy feeling that I get once in awhile when I see an outstanding movie that reaffirms my love of film. Quite a feat considering the heavy subject… MoreI got that happy feeling that I get once in awhile when I see an outstanding movie that reaffirms my love of film. Quite a feat considering the heavy subject matter.
Simply brilliant performances by Tilda Swinton and Amber Tamblyn. Writer/director Hilary Brougher treats the subject matter with incredible sensitivity and paints everything with shades of grey.
Excellent supporting cast as well. It was interesting to see comedian Jim Gaffigan take on a serious role as Stephanie's father. Also noteable is Academy Award nominee Melissa Leo as Stephanie's mother.
It was just lovely to see such complex roles created for women.

Leigh Ryan

Different than what I was thinking it was going to be like, but it was still good. Plus, I enjoyed watching the confused looks on the people that went with me.… MoreDifferent than what I was thinking it was going to be like, but it was still good. Plus, I enjoyed watching the confused looks on the people that went with me. They didn't like the ending. FUNNY! Love Amber, so that also counted for a lot.